How I Finally Figured Out Indoor Plants (And What Made the Difference)

I said goodbye to a cactus once.

I want to be upfront about this before I start recommending plants to anyone. A cactus. The plant that exists specifically for people who forget to water things. The plant that lives in deserts. I managed to overwater it — apparently this is possible, I did not know this at the time — and it quietly collapsed over the course of about two weeks while I assumed it was fine.

Tasos said nothing about the cactus. He never says anything about the plants. They are entirely my domain, which means the victories are mine and so are the failures, and the cactus was a significant failure that I think about more than is reasonable.

After the cactus I did some research. I bought a Sansevieria — the tall architectural plant with the stiff upright leaves, sometimes called a snake plant — because everything I read said it was nearly impossible to kill. I put it in the corner of the living room. I watered it occasionally, less than felt right, because the research said to err on the side of less.

It is still alive. It has been alive for four years. It has grown three new leaves and produced a small offshoot that I’ve since repotted and given to my mother, who has also managed to keep it alive.

The Sansevieria restored my confidence. It showed me that the problem with the cactus was not that I was incapable of keeping plants alive — it was that I had started with the wrong plant.

That’s what this article is about. Starting with the right plant.

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Before You Buy Anything: The One Question That Changes Everything

Most people choose houseplants based on how they look. Which makes sense — you want something that works in the room. But the more useful question, especially if you’re just starting out, is how much light doe